| | | |  | | By Irie Sentner and Adam Wren | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Makayla Gray Good Saturday morning and happy Valentine’s Day. This is Irie Sentner, back in your inbox and urging you to forward this newsletter to your crush <3. Get in touch.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio took the stage at the Munich Security Conference and tried to make nice with Europe. | Alex Brandon/AP | RUBIO’S LOVE LETTER: What a difference a year makes. When VP JD Vance took the stage last February at the 2025 Munich Security Conference and delivered an explosive rebuke of Europe’s trajectory, he gave America’s oldest allies the rudest of awakenings as the new administration settled into power. “There’s a new sheriff in town,” Vance declared, and his name was President Donald Trump. Exactly one year later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio this morning delivered his own address at the conference. He was tasked with defending Trump’s foreign policy, which has shaken the international order to its core and upended longstanding alliances. Venezuela. Iran. Ukraine. A sprawling trade war hinging on the whims of one man. A looming annexation threat to Greenland that would blow up NATO. That was the global context weighing heavily over the audience Rubio stepped before, which was preparing for the worst. Instead, Rubio delivered them a Valentine. “The United States and Europe — we belong together,” Rubio said. He emphasized, again and again, that the two shared a cultural heritage and belonged to “one civilization, Western civilization.” And he pleaded with Europe to join forces with the U.S. on its Trumpian trajectory. “This is why we Americans may sometimes come off as, uh, a little direct and urgent in our counsel,” Rubio said — an apparent reference to last year’s speech from Vance, who is both a personal friend of Rubio and his chief rival if both decide to run for president in 2028. “This is why President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends in Europe. The reason why, my friends, is because we care deeply.” But the secretary of State also didn’t try to pretend nothing has changed. Rubio bashed the “dangerous delusion” of the “rules-based global order” (which he called an “overused term”) — pointedly echoing the language Canadian PM Mark Carney used at his infamous “rupture” speech in Davos last month, when he called on the middle powers of the world to “stop invoking rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised.” That order, Rubio said, “was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature” and “the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history, and it has cost us dearly.” He threw out the red meat, claiming that globalization had caused both the U.S. and Europe to lose their manufacturing prowess, open their borders and face cultural decline. “We can no longer place the so-called global order above the vital interest of our people and our nations,” Rubio said. He also “rehashed the administration’s complaints on the failure of international institutions, unfettered trade and energy policies that he said are ‘impoverishing our people,’ as well as ‘mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies,’” POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz reports from Munich, urging European leaders to help Trump “refashion the global order with a focus on sovereignty, reindustrialization and military strength.” But unlike Vance, Rubio beckoned for Europe to come along for the ride. “America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity,” he said. “And again, we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends.” A year ago in Munich, Vance received a smattering of applause. Today, Rubio got a standing ovation. MORE FROM MUNICH:
- The reviews are in: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “very much reassured” by Rubio’s speech. “We know some in the administration have a harsher tone on these topics,” she added, perhaps not so subtly. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) also gave Rubio’s speech a general thumbs up, saying “while weird, it was also not bad since it didn’t cause more harm” to U.S.-European relations.
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin revealed an unlikely political idol of his: Hillary Clinton. Speaking at the POLITICO Pub today, Zeldin praised Clinton during her time as a New York senator as someone who was fully focused on her job. “If she was to walk into a meeting with a company … she’ll already have memorized the first two [PowerPoint] slides,” Zeldin said, adding she could win over even a “hardcore conservative who absolutely despises the Clintons.”
- Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) issued a dire warning about the state of America’s election system ahead of the midterms. Warner said he’s now more concerned by domestic interference from the Trump administration than from foreign actors like China or Russia. “A year ago, I thought c’mon. Today, I’m extraordinarily afraid,” Warner said at the POLITICO Pub today.
- SPOTTED at the POLITICO Pub: Alexander Schallenberg, Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Norwegian Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt, Róbert Vass, Kavita Ahluwalia, Margus Tsahkna, Vera Brenzel, Florian Schörghuber, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Michael McFaul, Mathias Döpfner, Goli Sheikholeslami, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Richard Moore, Maria Malmer Stenergard, Oana Țoiu and Elina Valtonen. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker also appears to have turned one of the cabanas in POLITICO’s Platz into an impromptu personal office.
Follow along with all the latest from Munich with POLITICO’s live blog
| | | | A message from AHIP: 35 Million Seniors Could See Reduced Benefits and Higher Costs. Health plans welcome reforms to strengthen Medicare Advantage. However, a proposal for flat program funding at a time of sharply rising medical costs and high utilization of care will directly impact seniors' coverage. If finalized, this proposal could result in benefit reductions and higher costs for 35 million seniors and people with disabilities when they renew their Medicare Advantage coverage in October 2026. Learn more. | | | | TURNING POINT OF ORDER POSTHUMOUS POWER: Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” notched millions of viewers last Sunday as the group ran an unprecedented counterprogramming effort against Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show. The performance, led by Kid Rock, paid homage to late founder Charlie Kirk, passing a key test of his enduring cultural power — not to mention building up the group’s YouTube base. But several more telling tests of Kirk’s posthumous political power still loom in the coming days and weeks across the map. Early indications show Kirk’s presence is still shaping Republican primaries, Playbook’s Adam Wren writes. Kirk told friends that the only two midterm primaries he cared about in the 2026 cycle were backing Andy Biggs for governor in his home state of Arizona and Kentucky’s Senate Republican primary to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, in which he endorsed MAGA businessman Nate Morris — the last politician he backed, a source who spoke with him told Playbook. In Arizona, Biggs got a boost on Thursday when Republican Karrin Taylor Robson suspended her campaign, leaving fellow Rep. David Schweikert as his main rival in the GOP primary slated for July 21. In Kentucky, Kirk’s endorsement of Morris appears to be lifting the candidate. Andrew Surabian, the GOP strategist with close ties to Vance, in November put $1 million behind a digital ad touting Kirk’s endorsement of Morris. Months later, a polling memo from Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio argues it has led to a surge for Morris in the primary against Barr and state AG Daniel Cameron. In another memo obtained by Playbook, Surabian and GOP operative Chris Grant argue that “Nate Morris is making explosive gains, largely driven by his status as a pro-Trump political outsider endorsed by Charlie Kirk.” A pro-Morris strategist told Playbook that the polling indicates that Kirk is “the second most influential endorsement in GOP politics,” trailing only that of Trump, which they called the “most powerful endorsement in the history of politics.” But there’s plenty of tests to come. Most immediately in Utah, Republicans are attempting to gather enough signatures to get an initiative on November's ballot that would repeal an anti-gerrymandering law — and open the door to a more GOP-friendly congressional map in 2028. Turning Point Action has gone all-in on the effort, flooding the state with rallies and signature drives over the past 10 days, POLITICO’s Samuel Benson writes in. Ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, they are well short of their target, with less than 90,000 verified signatures submitted out of the more than 140,000 needed. And the campaign has turned chaotic, with county clerks reporting fraud and signature gatherers reporting violent attacks. In Texas, the hotly contested GOP Senate primary is less than a month away. Turning Point has backed state AG Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the March 3 contest. Also on the docket for Kirk’s Turning Point is a string of May 5 primaries in Indiana, where before his death Kirk singled out state senators who didn’t support mid-cycle redistricting. The group has promised to spend upward of seven figures there through 2028 with MAGA-aligned groups. And, of course, All of this amounts to Turning Point’s biggest project, with an eye toward shaping the future of the Republican Party, Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet said. “We’re building that red wall towards 2028,” Kolvet said. “We’re going to be doing a lot of stuff in New Hampshire. We're going to be doing stuff in Nevada. We're going to do a lot of stuff in Arizona, and then we're going to be picking and choosing what we consider critical races.”
| | | | A message from AHIP:  
| | | | 8 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. CYBER TIES: “Jeffrey Epstein spent years building ties to well-known hackers,” by POLITICO’s Maggie Miller: “Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for years communicated with experts in the cybersecurity community and expressed interest in attending two of the largest hacker conventions in the world, according to documents released by the Justice Department. It’s unclear if Epstein ever attended either DEFCON or Black Hat, where thousands of hackers and researchers gather annually in Las Vegas to discuss the latest cyber vulnerabilities and trends. “According to his emails with several prominent researchers and business people, his interest in cybersecurity and cryptography appeared to be widespread, ranging from discussions about removing information about himself from online search engines to network security. Jeff Moss, founder of both the Black Hat and DEFCON conferences, told POLITICO in a statement that it’s unlikely Epstein actually made it to the conferences.” 2. THE SOTU SHUTDOWN: With the Department of Homeland Security now officially in a shutdown, lawmakers aren’t due back from next week’s recess until the week of Trump’s planned State of the Union address — a reality that’s worrying some Republicans. “Behind the scenes, some administration officials and senior Capitol Hill Republicans are quietly fretting about the optics,” POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and colleagues report. “The concerned Republicans believe it would be less than ideal for Trump to stand in the well of the House and declare that the state of the union is strong when a critical part of the federal government remains shuttered.” Notable quotable: “It doesn’t exactly scream ‘a functioning GOP trifecta,’” said one House Republican. But a senior White House official said there’s no discussion of postponing “as of yet.” 3. OPEN THE GATEWAY: “Gateway gets $30M in frozen funds, with more to come,” by POLITICO’s Chris Marquette: “The Gateway rail tunnel project has yet to receive the full $205 million in reimbursements it is owed from the Trump administration, two people familiar with the matter told POLITICO, but the administration is working to get the money out the door. Construction on the project between New York and New Jersey has been paused since Feb. 6. Gateway Development Corporation has gotten $30 million so far.” 4. GUTHRIE CASE UPDATE: Last night, law enforcement vehicles were seen “at a location two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home for an operation that authorities said was related to the investigation into her disappearance,” per CNN. Investigators said they have discovered “DNA on Nancy Guthrie’s property that is neither hers nor that of anyone in ‘close contact with her,’ the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said,” per NYT’s Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs. And tips are flooding in: The Pima County sheriff’s office “has received about 21,000 calls since … Nancy was reported missing on Feb. 1,” NYT’s Anushka Patil reports. “More than 4,000 came in during the first 24 hours after the F.B.I. released the first images of a masked, armed suspect.”
| | | | POLITICO Governors Summit Join POLITICO's annual Governors Summit, held alongside the National Governors Association’s Winter Meeting, for a series of forward-looking conversations with governors from across the country about how state leaders are setting the agenda for America’s next chapter. Hear from Gov. Wes Moore (D), Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), and more. Register Now. | | | | | 5. INSIDE THE VENEZUELA OPERATION: “Pentagon Used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro Venezuela Raid,” by WSJ’s Amrith Ramkumar and Keach Hagey: “Anthropic’s usage guidelines prohibit Claude from being used to facilitate violence, develop weapons or conduct surveillance. ‘We cannot comment on whether Claude, or any other AI model, was used for any specific operation, classified or otherwise,’ said an Anthropic spokesman. … The Defense Department declined to comment. The deployment of Claude occurred through Anthropic’s partnership with data company Palantir Technologies, whose tools are commonly used by the Defense Department and federal law enforcement, the people said.” 6. CUBA CRUNCH: “Cuba’s Food and Water Supplies Threatened Under U.S. Pressure, U.N. Says,” by WSJ’s Ryan Dubé and colleagues: “The U.S. campaign to block Cuba’s oil imports is deepening a humanitarian crisis on the island, the United Nations said Friday, as Mexico and other countries shipped food and emergency supplies. The U.N.’s human-rights office said the shortage of imported fuel is undercutting the supply of food and disrupting essential services like water systems and hospitals in the country of 10 million people.” 7. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Paxton succession: Rep. Chip Roy is locked in a tie in the crowded GOP primary field to succeed Texas AG Ken Paxton with the race far from decided, according to a polling document prepared for one of his opponents that was obtained exclusively by POLITICO’s Jordain Carney. The polling memo from co/efficient shows Roy and Texas state Sen. Mayes Middleton both at 18 percent — a shift from another recent poll that had the former ahead. But former DOJ official Aaron Reitz, whom Paxton endorsed, is aiming to nab a spot in the runoff — with the memo making the case that he’s in a “dominant position” to do so with a significant chunk of voters undecided. 8. PROTECT THE VOUGHT: “White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show,” by Reuters’ Jonathan Landay and Douglas Gillison: “The White House Office of Management and Budget, which [Russ] Vought leads, is allocating $15 million of what remains of USAID operating expenses to cover the costs of his protection by the U.S. Marshals Service through the end of 2026. … A person familiar with the matter said that Vought's security detail comprises more than one dozen U.S. Marshals, which Reuters could not independently confirm.”
| | | | A message from AHIP:  
| | | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 19 funnies
| 
RJ Matson/CQ Roll Call | GREAT WEEKEND READS: — “This Virginia County Is Ground Zero in the Battle Over Data Centers,” by POLITICO’s Ariel Wittenberg in Gainesville: “States and feds aren’t doing much to affect data center growth. Residents here in one Virginia county are trying to push back — but running into some big obstacles.” — “Handsome at Any Cost,” by NYT’s Joseph Bernstein: “Braden Peters, known as Clavicular, has emerged as a beacon for a group of narcissistic, status-obsessed young men. He wants to take his fixation with ‘looksmaxxing’ mainstream.” — “The Movie That Inspired Gregory Bovino to Join Border Patrol,” by The New Yorker’s Alexander Nazaryan: “Years before he led the Trump Administration’s immigration-enforcement effort in Minneapolis, Bovino saw the 1982 Jack Nicholson film ‘The Border.’” — “When Grief Came for the Gravedigger,” by NYT Mag’s Will Bahr: “In pursuit of an interesting life, he came face to face with death.” — “Seven Pages of a Sealed Watergate File Sat Undiscovered. Until Now.” by James Rosen for NYT Opinion: “In the avalanche of official disclosure that defined the 1970s, what remained so sensitive that even the special prosecutors wouldn’t touch it?” — “What Is Kari Lake Trying to Achieve?” by The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez: “The Arizona politician has wasted millions of dollars while blocking U.S. efforts to bring reliable news to repressive countries.” — “America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs,” by The Atlantic’s Josh Tyrangiel: “It’s the first time in history that humans have invented something genuinely miraculous and then rushed to dress it in a fleece vest.”
| | | | New from POLITICO Tracking the forces shaping politics, policy and power worldwide, POLITICO Forecast connects developments across regions and sectors — including key global moments and convenings — drawing on POLITICO’s global reporting to help readers see what’s coming next.
➡️ Subscribe Now | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | NO PEDIMENT, NO PROBLEM — “New images of White House ballroom show clearest look yet at Trump project,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and colleagues: “Shalom Baranes Associates, the firm handling the project, shared the renderings with the National Capital Planning Commission, a committee charged by Congress with overseeing major federal construction projects in the region. … The images reveal at least one significant change from earlier designs: the removal of a large triangular pediment above the ballroom’s southern portico.” FORE! — “Trump administration sued for attempted overhaul of public golf course in Washington,” by Reuters’ Kanishka Singh: “The lawsuit filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the Trump administration's reconstruction of East Potomac Park that includes the East Potomac Golf Course violated a congressional act from 1897 which said it should be ‘forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people.’” OUT AND ABOUT — CJ Pearson hosted a Cruel Kids Valentine’s Day Eve romp last night, where guests got a red or green wristband depending on their relationship status, MAGA-style hats inscribed with “Make America Party Again” and “Cruel Kids XOXO,” and “America is for lovers” matchboxes with Trump’s face with heart eyes. Dancing mimes danced behind glass. SPOTTED: Edward Coristine (aka “Big Balls”), Waka Flocka Flame, Will Scharf, Phillip Hancock, Rachel Paik, Matthew Foldi, Jon Michael Raasch, Michael Shindler, Jonas Du and Lexi Boccuzzi. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) … Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) … Mike Bloomberg … Carl Bernstein … Martha Raddatz … Stephen A. Schwarzman … Oscar Ramirez … Amanda Litman … Ed Patru … former Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) … Social Finance’s Karen Anderson … POLITICO’s Rosmery Izaguirre and Oriana Pawlyk … Terry Gross … Scott Will … Ede Holiday … Jon Sawyer … former Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) … Jaime Horn of JLH Strategies … Ryan Blake … World Wildlife Fund’s Cristina Marcos … William Beach ... Daniel Stublen of Agence France-Presse … Rod Lamkey … Bobby Honold ... Mitch Moonier … NYT’s Alan Blinder … Brooke Lierman … Erik Potholm of SRCP Media … Paul Miller of Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies … Ann Tait Hall … Evan Kraus ... Jen Pihlaja … Brandon Renz of House Oversight … Eirik Kollsrud of UNRWA … BGR Group’s Kirsten Madison, Matt Hoffmann and Fred Turner … Boeing’s Jeff Shockey … House Appropriations’ Elizabeth Oien … Carlos Sanchez of Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s (D-N.M.) office … Marty Markowitz … Jeff Van Oot … David Cuzzi of Prospect Hill Strategies … Alex Hinson … Jeremy Robbins … Rebecca Fertig Cohen … Andrew Milligan … Caitlin Patenaude Vannoy … Rokk Solutions’ Gabby Gallone THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): CBS “Face the Nation”: Tom Homan … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) … Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). CNN “State of the Union”: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer … Tom Homan … Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) … Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Panel: Liz Stein, Jess Michaels and Teresa Helm. ABC “This Week”: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) … Ed Smart. Nancy Guthrie Investigation Panel: Aaron Katersky, Mary Ellen O’Toole and Jim Jones. Panel: Chris Christie, Faiz Shakir, Susan Glasser and Matt Gorman. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) … Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) … Texas AG Ken Paxton … Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Panel: Guy Benson, Horace Cooper, Josh Kraushaar and Leslie Marshall NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) … Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) … Gary Walters. Panel: Molly Ball, Julie Mason and Phil Wegmann. MS NOW “The Weekend: Primetime”: Analilia Mejia … Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) … Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) … Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) … Eric Lee. PBS “Compass Points”: Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand … NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte … Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Peter Navarro … Reza Pahlavi … Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) … Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.). Panel: Dan O’Shea and Chris Swecker. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Giuseppe Macri and deputy editor Garrett Ross.
| | | | A message from AHIP: 35 Million Seniors Could See Reduced Benefits and Higher Costs
Health plans welcome reforms to strengthen Medicare Advantage. However, a proposal for flat program funding at a time of sharply rising medical costs and high utilization of care will directly impact seniors' coverage. If finalized, this proposal could result in benefit reductions and higher costs for 35 million seniors and people with disabilities when they renew their Medicare Advantage coverage in October 2026. Learn more. | | | | | | | | Follow us on X | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Canada Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment